Military Professionalism and a Code of Ethics

This paper will discuss the need for a code of ethics for military officers. The first part of the paper will discuss the attributes which make military officers professionals; the second part of the paper will examine the various ethical principles inherent in this profession; the third part of the paper will argue the case in favor of creating a formal code of ethics for military officers; and the fourth part of the paper will discuss some of the issues in the Ethics Case Study.

Professionals stand apart from others engaged in particular careers. Whilst many vocations contain some of the characteristics of professions, they do not include all of the elements necessary to distinguish themselves as such. Occupations such as sculpture, copywriting, and stenography may be specialized in function but they do not meet the requirements of a profession. In order for an occupation to inhabit the elevated status of profession, it must meet certain levels of expertise, responsibility, and corporateness (Huntington, 1957, pp. 2-3).

A professional has specialized knowledge and skill which can only be acquired through prolonged education and experience. Such skill and experience form the basis of objective standards of professional competence that separate the practicing professional from laymen and measure the competence of such professional. This professional knowledge must also be intellectual in nature, allowing for its preserva

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officer is assigned (Huntington, 1957, pp. 4-8). The second characteristic of professionalism, responsibility, is the concern of this paper. As stated above, military officers have a general responsibility to employ their expertise for the good of society, for the purposes dictated by society, and under the direction of society. This general responsibility creates the moral responsibility of military officers and helps us understand the set of values which guide military officers. The most important value is the protection of society, a value so important that incompetence constitutes a gross transgression. In addition, however, military officers must also possess the values of other human beings and question service to a society which does not respect these values. These values include justice, benevolence, human dignity, and autonomy. A government which does not respect these values is illegitimate and cannot be said to serve the society it directs (Stayton, 1983, pp. 55-56). In the case of United States military officers, the values of the United States must be examined in the context of the military profession. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution provide clear statements of these values. Most signif
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Approximate Word count = 1717
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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